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Lot Essay
These marble-topped cabinets, raised on trompe l'oeuil simulated Egyptian porphyry plinths, are designed in the early 19th century French/antique manner. Their Egyptian palm-flowered columns relate to those of tripod torcheres in Thomas Hope's Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, pl. 22.
Almost identical columns feature on a group of marble-topped bookcase-cabinets now at Stratfield Saye, Hampshire, of which one at least was recorded as early as 1931 in the formed collection of Lord Gerald Wellesley at 11 Titchfield Street (F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1985, p. 268). Lord Gerald subsequently, and unexpectedly, became the 7th Duke of Wellington and his collection merged with that of the 1st Duke of Wellington. In 1931 his collection was clearly influenced by that of the 1st Duke but is most likely to have been of his own formation as he was one of the earlier serious collectors of Regency furniture.
The possible connection with the 1st Duke of Wellington has led to a tentative connection between this group and the cabinet-maker Dowbiggin who supplied a large amount of furniture to Apsley House. A much more probable maker, on stylistic grounds, is James Newton. He labelled a suite of very similar chiffoniers sold from the collection of Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, Christie's, London, 25 March 1999, lots 320-321. They share a number of details with the present pair of cabinets: bleu turquin marble tops, superstructures (long removed on this lot), and simulated porphyry plinths. Newton had in 1795 supplied a set of three side cabinets to Burghley House, Stamford, that share the bold angled rosewood veneer around the doors (G. Ellwood, 'James Newton', Furniture History, 1995, p. 148 and fig. 3)
The cabinets’ lozenged and palm-flowered ormolu tablets were also used by the Mount Street cabinet-makerss Marsh and Tatham for bookcases supplied in 1806 to George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (H. Roberts, The Furnishing and Decoration of George IV'’s Apartment at Windsor Castle, London, 2001, fig 414).
Almost identical columns feature on a group of marble-topped bookcase-cabinets now at Stratfield Saye, Hampshire, of which one at least was recorded as early as 1931 in the formed collection of Lord Gerald Wellesley at 11 Titchfield Street (F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1985, p. 268). Lord Gerald subsequently, and unexpectedly, became the 7th Duke of Wellington and his collection merged with that of the 1st Duke of Wellington. In 1931 his collection was clearly influenced by that of the 1st Duke but is most likely to have been of his own formation as he was one of the earlier serious collectors of Regency furniture.
The possible connection with the 1st Duke of Wellington has led to a tentative connection between this group and the cabinet-maker Dowbiggin who supplied a large amount of furniture to Apsley House. A much more probable maker, on stylistic grounds, is James Newton. He labelled a suite of very similar chiffoniers sold from the collection of Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, Christie's, London, 25 March 1999, lots 320-321. They share a number of details with the present pair of cabinets: bleu turquin marble tops, superstructures (long removed on this lot), and simulated porphyry plinths. Newton had in 1795 supplied a set of three side cabinets to Burghley House, Stamford, that share the bold angled rosewood veneer around the doors (G. Ellwood, 'James Newton', Furniture History, 1995, p. 148 and fig. 3)
The cabinets’ lozenged and palm-flowered ormolu tablets were also used by the Mount Street cabinet-makerss Marsh and Tatham for bookcases supplied in 1806 to George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (H. Roberts, The Furnishing and Decoration of George IV'’s Apartment at Windsor Castle, London, 2001, fig 414).